Abstract
Data products comprising bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF) and albedo parameters generated from multiangular satellite reflectance observations are entering into operational production. These data products, which represent an earth science data type that has not been available before, are based upon semiempirical modeling of the reflectance anisotropy of the earth's land surface. This paper provides a description of current issues and considerations in such parametric BRDF modeling and discusses the main requirements to be met in model formulation and application. Various linear kernel‐driven and multiplicative BRDF models are considered with respect to model formulation, validation, and angular interpolation and extrapolation of the reflectance observations. The paper also examines the status of the discussion on potential biophysical interpretations of the derived semiempirical model parameters. This overview over parametric BRDF and albedo modeling hopefully will aid users of the new data products in understanding their complexity and adequate interpretation.
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